SIDEBAR

Fast Facts

Whitby is the only lakeside municipality in Durham without an off-leash dog park despite the fact that interest in establishing one dates back to the 1990s.

Town does the legwork for off-leash dog park

- In September 2011, council directed staff to return with a report about potential locations for one or more off-leash dog parks based on input from the public.

- After a lengthy review process, including a survey and public workshop attended by more than 100 people, staff approached council in June 2012, recommending the southeast corner of Lyndebrook Road and Country Lane.

- Several residents at that meeting raised concerns with that site and after some discussion, council instead opted for Cullen Central Park, due to its central location and because it's already popular among dog owners.

- Shortly thereafter, several people residing near the Cullen property notified council that they had only recently heard a dog park was being planned for the area, prompting council to hold another public meeting on the matter.

- At a public meeting this past November, residents presented a petition with more than 200 signatures from those living near Cullen who strongly opposed an off-leash dog park being built there, citing issues such as increased traffic, noise, and dog owners parking on their street to gain closer access to the off-leash area.

- Council approved staff's recommendation on April 2 for two off-leash dog parks -- one in the north and one in the south.

What's next?

A public meeting will be held to discuss the design features so that staff can report back to council before summer recess at the end of June.

WHITBY -- Georgia Conner can always tell when her four-year-old Newfoundland dog has visited a local off-leash dog park.

The Whitby resident says her husband David sometimes takes Bella to Harmony Valley dog park in Oshawa while she's at work and she knows right away as soon as she gets home.

"I notice it in her demeanour; she's so much happier and relaxed," says Ms. Conner, who is looking forward to Whitby establishing its own off-leash park in the near future.

On April 2, members of council unanimously approved a report from staff recommending that two off-leash dog parks be built -- one in the north and one in the south part of the town.

I have visited both sites and I think they're both

The first proposed site is at the southern end of Cochrane Street, south of Winchester Road West and adjacent to Heber Down Conservation Area. The second proposed site is at the northern end of Jeffery Street, south of Hwy. 401 and adjacent to the Lynde Shores Conservation Area. Both are located on lands owned by the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA).

"I am so very pleased to see this report," says Councillor Ken Montague, who has been advocating for an off-leash dog park in Whitby for the past two years.

"I have visited both sites and I think they're both excellent choices. They're very close to neighbourhoods but not that close that they're going to interfere with anybody, and they're very easy to get to."

Staff will enter into negotiations with CLOCA and report back on the terms of a lease agreement for the two proposed dog parks. A total of $100,000 has been included in the Town's capital budget for the project.

To provide better access for residents, staff believe two dog parks could be built at a cost of about $50,000 each, but there would need to be design changes to meet the allocated funding. A public meeting will be held over the next few months to gather input from residents.

"If the dog owners are suggesting that they want all of the amenities, we may either have to come back and say we can do some in one park only and we'd have to compromise on what we can provide in another park," says Peter LeBel, Whitby's commissioner of community and marketing services.

"Or, if we really need all of these amenities, we may have to come back and say we can only do one park and another park would have to be referred to a future capital budget."